The Department of Health (DoH) said Sunday it will look into a report that nine hospitals, including five that are government-owned, have denied admission to a pregnant woman carrying premature twins last Dec. 22.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said he will direct the DoH legal department to investigate the case of Marilyn Sumbi, who later gave births successfully at the Ospital ng Maynila at 2 p.m. on Dec. 23 after a tormenting 24-hour ordeal.

“That’s really bad,’’ Duque said when told about the dilemma faced by the Sumbi couple from nine medical facilities last week.

“I will definitely have it investigated. If it can be established that she was in an emergency situation when that happened, then the hospitals could be sanctioned for dereliction of duty. We can suspend or file cases against these hospitals and the medical people who denied her admission,’’ he told the Bulletin.

Earlier, Marilyn, 30, said she was not interested in suing the hospitals or even the medical staff who turned her away while she was in a critical situation, saying she has no resources to go after them.

Of the nine hospitals that reportedly turned her down, five are state-owned medical facilities. Two are private hospitals based in San Juan, Greenhills and along Ramon Magsaysay Avenue, while two are medical clinics run by the city governments of Las Piñas and San Juan.

Marilyn claimed that some of the hospitals had asked for an initial down payment of P20,000 before admitting her, while the others reasoned they were not equipped with the needed facilities such as respirators or incubators.

A government facility that supposedly serves charity cases, she said, asked her husband, Leonardo, to file a waiver first before admission indicating it (hospital) will not be responsible in case something bad happens to the twins.

“Nakapanghihina nga ng loob eh, ngunit kailangan kong lumaban noong mga panahon na iyon para sa aking mga anak(It demoralize sme, but I have to fight for my babies,’’ she said in an earlier interview.

Marilyn was admitted to the OsMA through her sister in Bicol who initially sought the help of a radio station along Roxas Boulevard in Manila. The radio station, in turn, sought the intercession of Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim for her admission to one of the city’s medical facilities.

The OsMA discharged Marilyn and the twin boys last Saturday, saying the condition of the babies has already improved.

Duque advised the Sumbi couple to send a report to his office, when they can, to boost the information that the DoH legal department could gather out of their case.